Observations of a High School Sophomore
by Luxana Etain
Summary: about my life
1. September 5th, 2002

September 5th, 2002  
  
It's 8:11 A.M. and Journalism is about as boring as ever. Jamie and Kayla are conversing with Jordan on our part of the room.  
  
You must understand that the different sides of the classroom are very important, to a certain degree. The room is designed in a classic square shape, with the door to the south and the file cabinet to the north. The teacher's desk faces the table that has all the equipment that a normal classroom should have: stapler, hole puncher and a place to put all work to be turned in. This table that I speak of is placed in the center of the room, so that it divides the room in two. Which only makes this situation more difficult to explain. The desks on the south side of the room, closest to the door, is where most of the people who are "over-acheivers" sit, such as Jamie and Kayla. Well, not too much Kayla, she's just around because she's Jamie's friend. Anyway, on the north side of the classroom, closest to the file cabinet, you have a place where the semi-normal people sit (since there is no such thing as "normal" in Ocean Springs"), such as Lindsey, Megan, Jordan and myself.   
  
Now that you understand the importance of the seating of the pupils in the room, we can now go on with our story.   
  
Everyone else that wasn't in the Journalism classroom was in the Journalism lab. I wanted to go over there and save me the risk of being bored to death by Jamie and Kayla, but as it turned out later, their conversation was much amusing.   
  
Lindsey, Megan and I had attempted one such expedition to the Journalism lab, but alas, it failed horribly when Megan decided to leave Lindsey and I stranded alone (not so much alone, but with the other people in the lab) to go do Algebra II homework. So, being the lackies that we are, Lindsey and I followed Megan back to the classroom.  
  
When we returned, I listened to Jamie, Jordan and Kayla's conversation. I've now come to the conclusion that they were talkin about our friend Nick's drawings. He drew a picture of Jamie and how it is rather "revealing." However, about three years ago, he drew nude pictures of one of our friends (who shall remain nameless for sanity's sake). I think that's rather... strange... don't you?   
  
Then they discussed the art of bodily piercings. Jordan, on one hand, wants an eyebrow peircing, and Kayla, on the other hand, wants a tounge ring. Lindsey used to have her belly button peirced... which reminds me of a funny story. Well, not so much funny, but just amusing.  
  
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Lindsey, Megan and I had gone to camp over the summer and Lindsey had just gotten her belly button peirced by her brother, Brandon. One day, when it had rained and we had nothing to do, Lindsey noticed that the ball on her belly button ring was missing. We went around the camp looking for a shiny silver ball. We couldn't find it, however we did find two silver beads. We walked back to the cabin, where Megan was sleeping, we sat around, wondering what we could do until we left the next day at noon.   
  
"Well, it's only 24 hours. I mean, the hole won't close up in 24 hours, right?" Lindsey had asked me.   
  
With my extreme amount of knowledge of bodily peircings (yeah right - hey, that reminds me of another story!), I responded, "I don't know. Maybe... maybe not."  
  
After that, we decided that she would try and keep the barbell in until the next day. Oh yeah, um, the barbell had been missing also, but we found that.   
  
Before the next day could come, Lindsey lost the barbell a second time. We looked, found it, but still, no silver ball to keep it in.   
  
We came home the next day and Lindsey bought another $12 barbell from Claires. Since then, Lindsey has taken out the ring, since Brandon didn't do it right. Now she wants a nose ring.  
  
That's the story that it reminded me of. It's amusing, somehow, but still sad, since somewhere out there, there is a small silver ball that belongs to Lindsey's unused barbell for belly rings.   
  
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I'm now with the Annual staff in Ms. Maniscalco's classroom. The editor and some chick, Kirsten, are talking about selling Ads. I'm working with Kirsten on the annual pages for Ads. Maybe I should get the list of places where I have to go to sell Ads. Wait, they're passing them out. Good. I don't have to get up.   
  
I think Annual Staff is more organized than Newspaper Staff. My reasons:  
  
1.) Annual Staff assigns places to go to sell Ads, where in Newspaper, you get to pick, and things can get hectic then.  
2.) Annual Staff assigns people to sections of the yearbook, as in Newspaper, people get to pick what they're doing their columns on.   
  
I wish I were on Newspaper staff. I don't like being organized. (tears) Anyway, the people have now handed out the stuff for Ads and on the back of the Ads reciept book, they spelt my name wrong. You spell my name Rachel... not Rachael... I mean, it looks neato and everything, but still, I like my name Rachel. Spelling my name wrong is one of my pet peeves. It's also a personality flaw of mine. Oh well. Deal with it.  
  
The editor of the Annual staff is now discussing things we could do to raise money for Annual Staff. His idea is: getting Mr. Breland and Ms. Townsend (our principals) to dress up in sumo-wrestler suits and wrestle, and everyone would have to pay a dollar to get out of class to go see it. It would be amusing. I'd pay a dollar to see that happen. (laugh) Mr. Breland won't have a problem with it, since he's from Vancleave (hicksville, for those of you who aren't from the southern regions of Mississippi), and I'm sure he's "wrasled" there a few times. He might have some problems, considering that Ms. Townsend is about the size of an 18 wheeler.   
  
Jordan just threw a paper ball into the garbage can that is across the room, by the door. When he made the shot, he turned around and said, "That's for the white boys... and that was just pure luck."  
  
Now we're talking about Emily and how she's fake and about stories from past experiences with her and her family. Her father, obviously, used to shoot pictures of republicans when Megan was over at her house in 4th grade.  
  
Anyway, onto another interesting subject, Geometry. I almost called it Geography, but thankfully I already had that last year. Someone's drinking soup, from what I hear (and smell). I don't like soup. It's rather... um... gross, in my opinion. RING! goes the bell.  
  
People are talking about what we're learning in this class now. Some logic stuff. Statements... converses... inverses... contrapositives...  
  
Announcements. In 9 days is my birthday, and they're going to announce it over the intercom the Monday after, since it's on a Saturday.  
  
It's now 9:20 A.M. Announcements for girls basketball tryouts are being made. Emily and I tried out for the girls basketball team in 7th grade. We didn't make it.   
  
Someone has coffee... I wish I had coffee  
  
Some girl is now feeling around in her shirt. That's rather strange.  
  
I'm hungry but I already ate my greenbeans and chips last block. So sad. People are gathered at the door. Probably for candy sales.  
  
The TV just turned on as the announcements went off. This means that Channel 1 is coming on soon. Joy.   
  
The girl that sits diagonal to me is offering to give the people around her Starbursts. She didn't offer me anything. Little bitch.  
  
I need a new calculator. Well, I just need a calculator. I can't use Ms. Blackwell's classroom set forever.  
  
This is the first time in like a year or so that I'm not alone being single. Megan, Jordan and Samantha all miraculously are all single. I've been single for too long. A year, almost. Damn guys. I hate Jared. I'm sure if it's a guy, but I'm gonna call it that for now on. He needs to get punched. I'd do it, but I'm afraid to touch him.  
  
Cooties. Another thing that our desired child-hoods had, that today's cultured society doesn't. Cooties. I want to be a kid again.  
  
I want to go home, but it's only 9:30. (sigh) Damn school.  
  
From the words of Megan's Wisdomosity, we all know that Geometry is pointless, but (yet again, damn school) it's a required class. I'd rather have Ms. Hirsch again (I will anyway, next year- English III) than be in this class. I've decided that I'm not taking anymore Maths after this year since I won't have to. I'm taking Geometry and Algebra II (next semester) this year.  
  
In English we have to read to Chapter 10 in Silas Marner. I have 3 more chapters to go, but I still have to read the Mary Shelley book for World History. I swear, this semester is going to make me HATE reading altogether. I have to read another book for World History next 9 weeks and I think after we finish Silas Marner, we're reading another book the school assigns us.  
  
Channel 1 is over. Now it's time for class. Don't you just hear the joyfilled laughter in my voice?  
  
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We've just completed warmups and the eraser is back in it's "cage." I swear it hates me. It wants to go back to it's master (it was given to me by Lauren Y.).  
  
Amber's birthday is on Saturday. She's supposed to have a party on the beach (bonfire = yay!) and blah blah. I still need to buy her a present. I have to get her the Filter CD, according to Megan, who is dispenser of all presents. Amber had a list. (shakes head) So sad.  
  
Crap. We have a quiz. I forgot.  
  
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That quiz was easy. 6 questions and all on the stuff we've been doing for a few days. That convers, inverse, contrapositive stuff. Simple. I hope we don't have to do anything else. Ms. Blackwell just left the classroom to grade our tests.  
  
Oh. She's over by the filing cabinet. Never mind.   
  
I hate Geometry. Ms. Blackwell was talking about the "stupid-pretty boys" of the class and she said, "Don't you just wake up everyday and feel so happy that you're in this class with them? You know you do." I hate them.  
  
Ok, now it's almost 11.. actually it's 10:50 A.M. and I'm done with all my Geometry work for the day. I made 100 on the quiz we took (yay) and that makes me happy. Very happy. I'm bored, so I have nothing to do. I started reading Chapter 7 for the Silas Marner book and it's like the rest of the book: boring.  
  
Lunch is next. Yay, food. I can't wait. It's gonna be so much fun. Yeah... right. It's gonna be like it always is: we sit there, eating and John says something stupid, we stare at each other and I steal Parker's fries. Well, maybe it's not so bad, you say. It doesn't look so bad to the untrained eye. We actually secretly hate each other and only hang out with everyone else at the table because we want everyone else to think that we have a life or something like it. Life or something like it... that sounds familiar.  
  
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I skipped writing at lunch, but it was amusing, as I'd hoped it be. We all gathered at the table we stole from a group of people and I began to eat my soy ham sandwich before the bell rang. Stuff happened, Mark attracted bees because of his green shirt and Lindsey and Meghan (B) sat on the broken bench, which resulted in the almost catapultation of Meghan across the school campus. I sat in the sun, as usual, and I got all sweaty, since it's as hot as Hell down here.  
  
We just completed pg. 67, exercise 5 in the green grammar books. How fun. Predicate nominitvies are stupid because we don't understand them. I have a 74 in this class (an 84 in Geometry) and according to Ms. Maniscalco, the descriptive essay we're doing today can bring it up. Oh, the last essay we did, I got a 4 out of 10 on it because I used dialogue and the introduction paragraph "wasn't appropriate." I hate writing essays. Lindsey was worse off because she had to rewrite it because Ms. Maniscalco said it was like reading an "epic novel." (tears for Lindsey)  
  
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World History. Yay. I like this class... only because of the 94 average I have in here. It's great. You just don't understand, it's also the last class of the day.  
  
Mr. Whiddon is reading us the newspaper. He's reading about two little boys in Flordia that killed their father to be with some man they thought they loved. Stupid little boys.   
  
Now he's reading something about how Ocean Springs is going to expand to two times bigger than it is now. I can't imagine seeing "the City of Ocean Springs" posted anywhere. It's just spooky. I've lived here all my life, and to hear Ocean Springs be called a city is just foriegn to my ears.  
  
Our journal topic for the day was "If you had 3 wishes, what would they be?" My wishes:  
  
1.) $1,000,000,000,000  
2.) World domination  
3.) To be Pope.  
  
You'd have to understand that my being the pope is actually an inside joke, so don't be alarmed. I'm not even Catholic... or Christian for that matter.  
  
People in Pakistan don't believe that Osama Bin Laden was behind the attacks of September 11th. So sad. Stupid people.  
  
Anyway, I have homework tonight. Friday Reports for English and... I think that's all. Oh well. (grin)  
  
It's 1:44 P.M. now and Mr. Whiddon is still reading. (sigh) Okay, he's done now. On to learning about the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. Fun. (grin)  
  
Laughing is the medicine of life. People just started laughing and I don't know, or care, about what they were laughing about.   
  
The people in class were telling blonde jokes and I had one (being blonde myself), but with my being "too shy" I didn't tell it to the class. I told it to Lauren and Vice Pope Kelly, who told me to tell it to the class later. It's funny. (grin)  
  
On that note: I'll leave you with the blonde joke I told them:  
  
A blonde, a brunette, and a redhead were running away from some people. They came up to some empty barrels and climbed in. When the people they were running from came up to the barrels, they knocked on them. When they knocked on the brunettes, she responded by barking like a dog. When they knocked on the redheads, she responded by meowing like a cat. When they knocked on the blondes, she responded by shouting, "Potato! Potato!" 


	2. September 9th, 2002

September 9th, 2002  
With the lack of intelligence in my Journalism classroom, you'd expect the teacher to be a little more .... shall we say... smart? But no, the teacher is just as insane and ... juvinelle as the rest of the class. Ms. Hardy has no sense of adulthood whatsoever. She procrasinates until the very last second of the class to make people (such as myself, Lindsey, Megan and Jordan) to do stuff for the bulliten board in one of the many "main" hallways.   
Jordan and I had to venture to the 9th grade acadamy (which I will explain later) and retrieve a boarder for the board, while Lindsey and Megan got to sit in the air conditioined classroom (which was too cold, by the way), and cut out letters for the board. I was somewhat amused.   
Anyway, when we finished putting up the boarder, we went back into the classroom to sit. Just sit. That's all we did. That's all we ever do, unless we're attacked and forced to do a teacher's job, which was rather amusing, but fun all in the same experience.   
The 9th grade acadamy is basically a place that our new principal (who came from the middle school over to the high school while the lot of us were in 8th grade (at the middle school). We just can't seem to be rid of him) has created so that the 9th graders aren't so ... how you say... lost. It's where 9th graders can go to expeirence the non-high school life. It's where they have their lockers and their core classrooms. If they took Theatre, Art, or Choir or PE (which in our school is sad, because we have a frisbee class) or whatever other electives are available, they would have to go to the main school, or to the Math's and Science building, or to the South Building, or the Auditorium. I had like 2 classes in the 9th grade acadamy last year. It was horrible. I hated the entire expeirence. It sucked. Now, I've only been in there twice, and it's been a month. Both times I was in there though, I went to get boarders or stuff for the bulliten board that Ms. Hardy has forced us to do for her.  
Which reminds me: last Friday, Lindsey, Megan and I ventured over to the Faculity Room of the 9th grade acadamy to get a background for the bulliten board. Megan had the scissors and was attempting to cut the orange paper so that we could harmlessly go back to the classroom, but Megan fell over and hit her head on one of the other 10 pound rolls of paper and knocked the whole lot of them over. It was like the Domino Effect. It was hilarious.   
So the day went on, and nothing happened, until lunch, when we sat around, and Amber and Mark went to the South building and did something and then they came back and then Amber and Lindsey left the table and did something and I was left to sit at the table, not alone, but with Kate, John, and Meghan B. Or Lindsey/Mark, whoever was there at the time. And we all ate food, and such. Mark is sick. It's sad. We'll all cry for him.  
In English we had a substitute. We read "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allen Poe. I liked that story. It was amusing. When we had to answer questions for the story, it suggested that critics had viewed the "pit" as Hell and General LaSalle was God. I was amused then too. Somewhat surprised, and amused. I laughed, on the inside.  
Then World History came around, and we watched a movie (or the rest of what we didn't watch from Friday) on Henry the VIII. It was great. Took up the class. I talked to Richard (yay, he's so cute!) and he asked for my phone number, but somehow I ended up with the note we were passing, and I'm not sure if he wrote my number down somewhere else besides what I had provided him with.   
I had fun today, although I hate Mondays. It was a somewhat amusing day, and yet, a mostly uneventful day, minus the World History happenings. 


	3. September 10th, 2002

September 10th, 2002  
  
Isn't it wonderful how much we enjoy life? I mean… um… yeah. That's it.. Right? Oh well. Anyway, it's 4:03 P.M. right now and I'm sitting here, getting ready to give you the news of the day. I'm eating some cereal, which is quite good I might say, and doing nothing whatsoever online.  
  
On to the good stuff:  
  
Tuesdays are usually just as bad as Monday's for me, but today I can make an exception. It was a great day. In Journalism, Lindsey and I put up the letters for the bulletin board and talked to Beth in the Girl's Bathroom. Ms. Hardy was in the Newspaper Lab, but we weren't aware of this, and she yells "What is going on in here?" With our cunning instincts, we all jump into the nearest stall and lock the doors. Lindsey flushed her toilet and came walking out into the bathroom casually. I came out of the stalls realizing that no teacher had come in to bitch us out. Lindsey walked in the bathroom from outside, since she must have flushed her toilet and ran out of the bathroom, and told us that Ms. Hardy was in the Journalism Lab and that she was talking to two boys who were doing something… equally stupid. Kelly came in and said that she hated band because Mr. Joe made them march today (since it's Marching Season) and she stepped in an ant pile and ant bites covered both her ankles. It was rather sad (tears for Kelly).  
  
In Geometry, I talked to Richard some more… and then we did class work. I think that was about it, besides the fact that there were people, who sat close to me, who were fighting about something, and the Clay guy said some nasty words and Ms. Blackwell heard and almost gave him detention. Then she made the Dallas guy clean up sunflower seeds that were on the ground. That wasn't the first time that that had happened. I think that our Geometry class is rather stupid. I mean, literally. (Rolls eyes) Seriously. Anyway, the bell rang sooner than I had thought (or my watch is just wrong) and I had to stay in the class and put all my junk away because I had it all piled on my desk.   
  
At lunch, Amber left again, and Mark wasn't here, so it was a very uneventful lunch, but Logan did manage to get a table for us all to sit at. Yay, Logan. Lindsey and I ventured over to the other side of the pavilion area to see Beth (from the bathroom) and Russ. It was interesting. I mean, not the most enthralling conversation you've heard in all your life, but it was amusing.  
  
Then came English. We took a test on Silas Marner and then got our new spelling words. Lindsey did the definitions and I copied them from her paper. We talked about the story we read yesterday with the substitute and then did the questions we didn't do yesterday. I was then sent to the Media Center to get a movie of a story that Edgar Allen Poe did. When I went down there, I got "Lovecore" by Boy Hits Car stuck in my head. Then, the lady was on the phone, so some other lady had to help me and she got me two movies (The Tell Tale Heart and Murders of Rue Morgue) and told me that Ms. Maniscalco would have to decide for herself. So then I ventured back to the classroom. We watched the movie and then we just sat around, doing nothing. As usual.  
  
At last, World History. My favorite class of the day. But today, we had a test, which I think I failed. I think that we all failed. It would suck if I failed, because I didn't study (for one, but I don't usually study for anything and get 100's) and it would bring down my average. At the beginning of class, Richard passed me a note that asked "What are you doing on Friday?" and I said nothing, because I had no life. He responded:  
  
Haha, sounds like fun. Are you dating anyone?  
  
Me: Nope. Not at the moment.  
  
And at that point, Mr. Whiddon took up the note and read it. (blush) Then he read it aloud, but the whole class didn't hear, but Richard had managed to put on there "Are you interested in anyone?" and Mr. Whiddon was up in my business and asking if I was interested in anyone. Then he laughed heartily and threw the note away. Richard later asked again, and I said "hmm… um… maybe" and he said "how could it be maybe?" and I responded with a witty "Haha, it was a 'suggestive maybe.'" and then he asked if I wanted to go to the movies on Friday, if he wasn't busy, and I accepted and said it would be great fun. Then we left and got on our busses (or walked, whatever tickles your fancy) and went home.  
  
That is where I am right now. At home. It has taken me about seventeen minutes to write all this down, with the thinking of what had happened today… my brain doesn't work at the end of the day, so excuse me. I'm so happy right now, that I can't even express what I'm feeling. Well, I just did. Happiness is what I'm experiencing. I think I've been away for too long on AOL. Oh well. I'm out. 


End file.
